Page 52 of Playing the Neutral Zone

I opened my eyes, glanced around my messy bedroom, looking at all the dirty clothes that lay in piles on the floor.My stomach hurt from not eating, but at the same time, the thought of food made me sick.I rolled over, facing the window, catching my reflection.I was a disaster, and I really needed to get up and take a shower.

Digging deep within myself, I slipped from my bed and headed into my ensuite, starting the shower.I shed my robe and climbed in, welcoming the warmth of the water over my aching body.

I took my time drying and styling my hair and putting on makeup, then got dressed.I made my way out into my apartment, grabbed my keys, and made my way into the office.

The receptionist greeted me as I walked in, but I said nothing.I’d come here to do one thing and one thing only: confront Carol.I marched down the hall toward her office and barged through her closed door.

She lifted her head from her computer at the intrusion, a look of irritation on her face.

“Scarlett!Don’t you know how to knock?”

“Cut the crap.Of course, I know how to knock,” I barked.

I slammed her office door shut behind me, making my way to the edge of her desk.

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me!”she yelled.

Someone needed to take a tone with her after what she’d just done to me.I hovered over her.I was done with her attitude and being held under her thumb.

“How dare you!”I yelled.

“How dare I what?”

“The article!”I screamed, anger coursing through me.

“Oh, that.”She laughed.“Scarlett, don’t get your panties in a twist.”

I frowned as I looked down at her.My panties in a twist?Did she just say those words as she laughed at me?Why would she find any of this funny?

“Scarlett, I simply polished the article you turned in.”

“Polished it?You changed every single word of it.”

Carol sat there, looking up at me, her hands under her chin.

“What I did was write a better article, one that has gotten more attention than you’d have ever gotten with the piece you wrote.You are welcome,” she said, picking up her pencil, making some notes in her notebook.

“I can’t believe you would actually do that!”

Carol shook her head.“Why can’t you believe it?I wasn’t printing the garbage you gave.I told you I wanted real and raw.I wanted the truth.You failed.”

Anger flooded me.“I didn’t fail, I just didn’t give you what you wanted.”

“Precisely.You didn’t turn in what I asked for, therefore, you failed.Just like I knew you would.”

“What is that supposed to mean?Like you knew I would?”I asked, shocked she’d say something like that.

“Scarlett, I wanted to test you, because I didn’t think you’d have the balls to write what I wanted.I was right.”

“There was nothing wrong with the piece I wrote.”

“Scarlett, there were so many things wrong with it.It was lacking, it was weak.It’s almost as if he were an old family friend or something and you didn’t dare want to cross a line.”

I bit my lip as anger flooded my body.She had no right to do what she’d done.She certainly had no right to put my name on the article she’d written.

“Oh, and as for the position with theIce Insiders, we’ve given it to Luke.”

I could feel the tears burning in my eyes as I looked at her.“Well, congratulations to Luke,” I said, swallowing every emotion I was feeling.

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